Masks and Mist
by Shaelynn Stark
Summary: This was written in response to Tsurai No Shi's challenge. Severus and Draco suffer Voldemort's wrath after Voldemort learns of Dumbledore's death...Severus turns to Harry for protection...HPSS...Will dance for reviews! No flames please. Don't like the
1. Turning to An Old Friend

**Masks and Mist**

**Disclaimer:**  
I own nothing...The characters belong to J.K. Rowling...This fic was written in response to Tsurai No Shi's challenge...

**Rating:**  
T (just to be safe) for themes/content

**Genre:**  
Drama/Romance

**Pairing:**  
SS/HP (Harry/Severus)

Turning to An Old Friend

Screaming. Draco Malfoy could hear the inhuman cries of agony. It tore at the very fiber of his being to know that he was, in part, responsible for what was happening to the man he once knew as his potions master, but now saw as more than just his "greasy old git" potions professor. He had almost come to view him as a friend. Voldemort had come to learn of the circumstances surrounding the death of Albus Dumbledore. Infuriated, he took his wrath out on not only Draco but Severus Snape as well. Draco had attempted to save himself by pinning all blame on Severus' "incompetence". Though, all that accomplished was to earn Draco a somewhat more laxed sentence. Suddenly, all was still. Draco realized the agonizing cries of anguish had stopped. Checking that the coast was clear, Draco quickly apparated to where he had heard Severus being tortured. What he saw upon his arrival chilled him to the bone. It had been enough to curl even _his _greasy hair. _Dear Merlin...What the bloody hell have I done!..._Draco thought to himself as he quickly set to checking that the older wizard was even still alive.

He jumped slightly when he heard a soft groan. "Draco..." The word was hoarse and scarcely even a whisper. Startled, he replied "Don't try to talk...I'm going to get you out of here..." Weakly, Severus replied "Take me somewhere safe...Take me to...Harry..." Clueless as to why Severus would ask to be taken to Harry Potter, Draco decided now was not the best time to question it. Rather, he just carefully helped Severus to stand as he slipped one arm around the older man's waist to keep him steady as he apparated the both of them out of there and to the safety of Harry Potter's residence.

Meanwhile, at number four Privet Drive, Harry had been enjoying a rare treat. A night home alone. The Dursleys had left on a family vacation and wouldn't be returning until after Harry had left for his last term at Hogwarts. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door. _Wonder who that could be..._Harry thought to himself as he stood to answer the door. Opening the front door, he revealed Severus leaning heavily against Draco who was struggling to support the weight. Shocked, Harry quickly move to relieve Draco as he asked "Merlin, what the bloody hell happened?"

Weakly, Severus tried to open his eyes as he rasped out "Harry..." Which was all he could manage before losing all consciousness and collapsing into the younger man's arms. With Draco's help, Harry managed to get Severus to the living room where they laid him out on the couch. Once they'd tended to both men's injuries. Harry asked Draco, once they _themselves_ had settled back down in the living room, "Draco...What exactly happened to you two tonight?...I mean, by the looks of things, I'd say you two are lucky to be alive..." Sighing, Draco responded "I know _Snape _is..." When it seemed Harry wasn't satisfied with that answer, Draco simply added "Look, Harry...It wouldn't be wise to disclose the evening's events to you...As it is, you're probably already in a fair bit of danger..." Sighing, Draco added "Listen, Harry...He's already probably looking for us...It wouldn't be wise for Snape and I to stay together...I should go...He'll be safe here with you, I know he will...I figure that's probably why he asked me to bring him here..." Before Harry could argue or even get any more details from him, Draco was already up and out the door.

Once Draco had left, Harry dimmed the lights with a wave of his hand and lit candles which surrounded the entire perimeter of the room. Once he had set everything up, Harry began to recite a chant which sounded nothing like any spell he'd learned at school, as he knelt beside Severus as he formed figure over where Severus' head lay which-if one watched closely enough-appeared to resemble a circle with a five-pointed star in the center. With that, Severus' entire body became haloed in a golden light for a moment before the light disappeared.

As soon as all was said and done, Harry returned to his prior seat next to Severus as he thought to himself _Gods...What the bloody hell could have done that to him!...Well...At least he had the sense to have Draco to bring him here...Anywhere else and it would have been a disaster..._Harry thought to himself. As he watched over Severus, Harry felt his chest tighten inexplicably as Harry felt a flood of worry rush over him. It took a moment for Harry to process these emotions. Though, he soon brushed them aside as just being concern for a close friend. Then, Harry was snapped out of his thought process as he heard Severus speaking softly. Thanks to his curious nature, Harry leaned in over Severus to hear what Severus was saying. However, when he heard his own name, Harry felt as though some invisible force had knocked the wind out of him. "No...No, please...Please just leave him out of this...Leave Harry out of this..." Harry staggered backwards a couple of steps, thinking to himself _Why on Earth would Severus be dreaming of me?..._, at the weak sound of Severus begging unseen person to leave him out of some unknown situation.

It was in that moment that Harry finally understood his feelings toward the older wizard. It was in that moment that he realized that he _loved _him. Suddenly, Severus' eyes snapped open as struggled to sit up-and succeeded, with a little help from Harry. After he'd stabilized Severus' balance, Harry asked "You okay?..." Nodding weakly, Severus replied "Yes, I'm fine...Thank you..."

Unsure if it would be a safe question, Harry asked "Severus...What exactly happened to you tonight?..." Severus simply remained silent for several moments. _Do I really risk telling him?...Can I risk putting him in that kind of danger?...Then again, my sheer presence here puts him in danger...But, what if I push him away?..._Severus continued on with this train of thought until he heard "Severus?...What's wrong?..." Sighing, Severus began the story of the events which had transpired over the course of the evening. "...So, Draco made an attempt to save himself...And in so doing, he got rather lucky and received the lesser sentence..." For a moment, Harry just sat there, shocked at what he'd just heard. _How could Draco do something like that?..._Harry thought to himself, infuriated at the thought of someone selling out like that just to save their own skin. Concerned about the meaning of Harry's silence, Severus asked "Harry?...Harry, what's wrong?..." _Great...Now he won't want anything more to do with me, I expect..._ Severus thought to himself as he awaited Harry's response. Severus' question seemed to have snapped Harry out of his trance. "Oh...Sorry...It's nothing...I just can't believe Draco would so something like that..." Half-smiling, Severus simply replied "Well, honestly, I can't say I would have done things any differently had I been put in his position..." Nodding slightly, Harry conceded "True...But, the important thing now is keeping you safe..." Severus simply nodded in silent agreement.


	2. Revelations of Betrayal

**Masks and Mist**

**Disclaimer:**  
I own nothing. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling. This is a continuation to my response to Tsurai No Shi's challenge.

**Rating:**  
R (just to be safe)

**Genre:**  
Romance/Drama

**Pairing:**  
Snarry (Snape/Harry)

Revelations of Betrayal

The next morning, Harry watched as a familiar owl glided gracefully through his open window. Untying the rolled up letter attached to its foot, Harry patted it on the head as it waited patiently for a response to take back to its owner. Harry's eyes scanned over the letter's contents as a dark smirk crossed his face. Setting the letter down on his desk, he reached for his quill and began scratching out a response.

_Yes, master...Everything's been arranged...He's here and waiting for you...And, as you have asked, he knows nothing...He will be ready when you arrive..._

_-HP_

Rolling his response up and securing it, Harry tied it to the owl's foot and sent off, back through the open window. Just then, he felt a slight twinge of guilt. Though, he quickly brushed it aside without a second thought. He then set back to wait for Severus to wake up to begin planning his "hiding" from Voldemort. Eventually, Severus came into the living room. Harry knew it wouldn't be long before Voldemort arrived. However, he simply plastered a convincing smile on his face as he asked "Sleep all right?"

Nodding, Severus replied "I slept well enough..." And with that, they set to work continuing their planning from where they'd left off the night before. A few hours later, they'd really come a long way when they heard a small _pop _and before Severus realized what was going on, Voldemort addressed Harry.

"Ahh...Everything seems to be ready...Is it, Potter?" He asked, a slight air of impatience lacing his voice. Bowing briefly, Harry replied "Of course, master..." _"Master"?..._ Severus asked himself silently. _How could he do something like this?...How could he lie to me?..._ "Excellent!" Voldemort replied. Before Severus could fully register the entire situation, Harry had him and silenced. And as quickly as it had all started, it was over. Voldemort disappeared with Severus with another soft _pop_. The moment they disappeared, Harry dropped to his knees as the hold Voldemort had on him lifted. Letting his head fall into his hands, Harry asked softly "What have I done?"

Realizing what he had to do, Harry stood once again, wand in hand, as he apparated to the place he knew to be Voldemort's lair. Immediately he was surrounded in darkness. He heard screaming. Agonizing screams that sent chills down the length of his spine. His eyes scanned the room, squinting until they'd adjusted to the dark around them. There he was. Severus, lying motionless on the floor in the center of what appeared to a prison cell. _Oh, God...What have I done?..._Harry thought to himself, knowing that he was the sole source of Severus' pain. Meanwhile, Severus thought to himself as he just lay there, allowing himself to be beaten within an inch of his life. _I can't believe I trusted him...How could he do this to me?...I can't believe I actually thought he cared...What a fool I was!..._

A small light filled the room as Harry found himself face-to-face with Voldemort. Oddly enough, Harry found that he wasn't nearly as intimidated as he should have been, given the current situation. He simply narrowed his eyes menacingly as he watched Voldemort draw his wand and throw the first curse at him, one which he narrowly escaped. They continued to duel for what seemed like an eternity before Harry caught sight of Severus coming around.

"Harry?..." Severus croaked out, weakly and hoarsely. Harry's heart ached for the older wizard. "Severus..." Harry replied before ducking another shot from Voldemort. Finally, Harry'd had enough. Aiming his wand at Voldemort, he hissed venomously "_Avada Kedavra_!" Harry found himself enjoying the sight of Voldemort falling at his hands far too much to have possibly been healthy. Though, he didn't care for he knew Voldemort had deserved it. Snapping back to his senses, Harry ran to Severus' side and threw himself to his knees as he surveyed the damage done by Voldemort. _Good God...What the bloody hell was I thinking?...How could I have possibly allowed that bastard to make me do this to him?..._ Harry thought to himself, fighting back the tears as he cast some sort of healing spell most witches and wizards had never heard of.

Rising, he carefully helped Severus to stand. Once he had regained his footing, Severus asked, slightly confused, "Harry?...What're you doing here?...I would have thought..." Sighing, Harry replied "Severus, I'm sorry...I don't know what the hell I was thinking...Voldemort must've had some sort of hold on me...Listen, I really don't expect you believe anything I tell you...I just felt it was my responsibility to stop what I'd started..." Turning to leave, Harry was slightly surprised to feel a hand on his shoulder, almost begging him to stop and turn back around. Slowly, he turned back around to face Severus and slowly looked up into the older man's eyes, searching for any signs of contempt or hatred. All he found was hope. "I understand..." Severus added softly. A soft smile slowly played across Harry features as he replied "Thank you..." Hesitating a moment, Severus slowly pulled Harry's face to his-searching the younger man's eyes all the while for any signs of disgust. When he found nothing but hope, he gently pressed his lips to those of the wizard who stood before him.

Both sets of eyes closed on contact. Severus reveled in the warmth and comfort of Harry's body being so close to his own and was surprised to find Harry's arm slipping around his waist, pulling his body even closer to the younger wizard's. Severus began to nibble gently along Harry's lower lip, asking permission to enter. Permission which was eagerly granted. Harry felt Severus' tongue slip into his mouth they battled in a game of dominance that neither really cared to win, just content that it was even happening at all. Once they finally parted for the lack of oxygen, Harry panted "Come on...Let's get out of here..." Severus simply nodded his silent acquiescence as Harry took him by the hand and apparated the both of them back to his home at number four Privet Drive. Turning to face Severus, Harry asked "Can you ever forgive me for what I did to you?" Severus read the almost pleading expression written in Harry's beautiful green emerald eyes.

He smiled softly as he reached out to gently caress the younger wizard's cheek. "Harry, you had no say in the matter...If you say that Voldemort had complete control over you, then I, for one, believe you...I'm just glad you snapped out of it when you did...You saved my life, Harry...And, for that, I thank you..." Smirking slightly, Harry replied "Ya know, a simple 'yes' would have sufficed." Chuckling for what had to be the first time in an eternity, Severus replied "I'm sure it would have..." Just then, Harry noticed Severus' face take on a more serious expression as Severus added "Harry...There's something I need to tell you..." Slightly confused as to what Severus could possibly be talking about, Harry asked "What is it?" Sighing softly, Severus added "I love you..."

Harry was speechless. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Severus Snape was in love with _him_? Finally, snapping back to reality, a soft smile played across Harry's face as he replied softly "I love you, too, Severus..." Before Severus fully registered what Harry had said, he quickly covered "Now, Harry, I'm sure you couldn't possibly..." He slowly trailed off, replaying Harry's response in his mind. "...Wait...What did you say?" Harry's smile broadened as he repeated "I said...I love you, too, Severus..." Now, it was Severus' turn to be speechless. This figure of perfection and innocence before him was _in love _with him? He could hardly believe it. Then, Harry stepped in front of him and wrapped his arms around Severus, almost as if to reassure him that this was really happening. Pulling back, Harry leaned forward and pressed his lips to Severus' once more, this time with less intensity and more tenderness.

* * *

_Author's Note:  
I apologize for this chapter being so short. I've been kinda busy lately and couldn't really figure out what to do with this chapter so...yeah...I hope y'all enjoyed it all the same. I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Sorry, again...Enjoy, mis amigos!_

_-Cadet/PV2 Britny Blick _


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